The battle to protect an area of land in Ash from development of up to 400 homes has been lost but the war is not over, according to the chairman of the local residents' association.

In the second extraordinary full council meeting of Guildford Borough Council in a fortnight, it was decided that land to the south of Ash Lodge Drive would be acceptable for development.

Councillors met for an often heated debate accompanied by theatrical boos, cheers and loud rounds of applause from members of the public, who packed out the council chamber on Tuesday (September 24) after the matter had been taken out of the hands of the planning committee.

The plans were some of the most controversial to come before the council, with 650 letters of objection sent in by neighbours and a petition gaining almost 1,500 signatures.

After the meeting, Graham Eyre, chairman of Ash Residents' Association (ASHRA), said: "We have lost the battle, but we have not lost the war.”

The permission means the land is acceptable for development, but building cannot start until the applicants, Bewley Homes and A2Dominion Enterprises, submit another application with details such as appearance, layout and scale, which will also need the council’s approval.

During the meeting, Roger Smolski, secretary of ASHRA, said: "Allowing the application will destroy the identities of the villages [Ash, Tongham and Ash Green], the landscape, the existing natural features and the open rural character of the area."

But Andrew Morris, director of Bewley Homes, said he believed the project provided a unique opportunity for lasting benefits to the local community.

The plans include a provision for 40% of the homes to be affordable, as well as improvements to roads, Ash Library, land for a health facility and improvements to schools.

The council's planning officer had recommended it for approval, and a motion to go against that - made by Councillor Paul Spooner and seconded by Cllr Richard Billington, who talked of "throwing Ash to the wolves" - was defeated by a vote of 18 to 16.

For more on this story, see this week's Ash & Farnham News & Mail and Surrey Advertiser.